One-Shot Theater
by KidaNeeChan
Summary: A collection of one shots, each new chapter is an unrelated story. Third story: It takes three for a love triangle, but when one of the involved parties doesn't understand the difference between 'to like someone' and 'to really like someone' feelings can get hurt even more than if they had understood.
1. Pray

_Thank you for clicking on One-Shot Theater, this will contain my Pokémon one-shots both new and previously published on my old accounts. _

_Genres for this chapter: Hurt/Comfort, Family_

_Chapter summary: Things in the world don't always work out the way we would like, tragedy happens, and people need to learn to dust themselves off and move forward, but no person is just truly alone in their journey Just as there is always a reason why something must happen._

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><p>Pray<p>

"Is there…. Something I can do to help?" a woman asked.

A young man, only twenty-two, stood in front of a coffee machine in a small town staring at the titles below his feet holding a full cup without a lid. His shoulders were hunched and his blue eyes were void. At the question the young man turned to face the woman. How he'd love to just cry.

The middle-aged woman stared him straight in his blue eyes with her eyebrows gathered and sincere worry in her eyes. She tentatively placed her hand on his shoulder.

It was no use; he looked back down and shook his head. It just needed out. "You know, more than a year ago now. My sister was killed by her husband leaving three children. My parents took them in. seven months ago my father passed away." He took a shaky breath trying not to publicly sob, "A couple nights ago, I got a call from nephew. My mother's passed away now. There's no one else now… no one but those three children. Right now they're in the custody of the state. My sister wouldn't want them there but I have no real means to support them. I have no wife or girlfriend that might help. I haven't even finished my schooling. How am I supposed to help them? How am I supposed to deal?"

The woman searched for words as she rubbed the young man's shoulders. "Those children. All they will need is for you to love them and for you to be there. I can tell, you loved your sister. You loved your father. You loved your mother. You care deeply about, no, you love those children dearly too. The world is not without support. If you ask for help raising those children, your neighbors, your friends, even the government, will all help.

"You will still have a few long days and long weeks, even long months ahead of you so let me help you get a start. I'll buy that coffee for you." The woman finally released the young man's shoulder and gently took the cup of coffee from him. She placed a lid on top of it and walked to the counter and placed her empty cup beside his full one on the counter. "I'd like to buy these two cups please."

The clerk had tears in her eyes and just whispered to the woman, "No. Just, take them. Okay?"

The woman smiled and took the cup back to the young man. He was so chocked up he couldn't even whisper the words thank you for fear he might actually start crying. She placed it in his hands and rubbed his back whispering to him, "I promise. It'll hurt less in the future, it maybe a while but it will hurt less."

He left the store, slightly less hunched over then when she had entered. As she poured her own cup of coffee she clasped her hands, shut her eyes tightly and whispered, "Dear lord, please bless that child. Bless that child and those poor, poor children, lord."

Years and years passed. The one thing the woman promised had come true. It hurt less. In fact, unless someone scratched the scab directly he could go on as though he had forgotten. To hurry the process he had moved away from the small town in Johto named Mahogany town to a slightly larger city in Kanto named Pewter city.

Life between the two was vastly different. Not only did every look completely different, in Mohogany all the homes were short and made from wood. It wasn't such a small town that everyone knew everyone, but close enough that a person with a regular routine might recognize all the faces along they're path. Pewter city was colder, yes, in terms of winter coming earlier, the gray, tall buildings and just the general tone of the unfamiliar people along your path. Maybe it was the best thing that you didn't have to learn the faces, you didn't have to get to know people, a person could just be themselves by themselves.

Empty lots had been planted with wild flowers and become play places for the younger children to play. The one young man had now entered the early phase of middle age and he sat on a stone in the corner of a flower lot and read a book as the children played.

"Uncle Dav! Uncle Dav!" A young girl shouted running towards a middle aged man at full speed. She had a crown of flowers in her hair and a bouquet in her hand. "Lookie look!" she shouted with a big smile and pointed at her head. "The girl over there taught me how to make it!"

The child was already 12, but she was just as free as when she was four. "It's very cute Nicky."

The girl gave him her biggest smile, spreading from ear to ear, showing off all the missing teeth. Her dark brown hair, much like his only much longer, which had originally been pulled into a neat, high pony tail had started to fall out, it looked like a matted mess under the crown of daisies. She saw the world through soft blue eyes which looked just like his and large ears to match his. "My big brothers never taught me how to make flower tiaras! They always took flowers and popped their heads off!" she pouted.

Her uncle just laughed. "Can I wear your crown for a second?" he asked with a big smile.

Nicky smiled and laughed loudly before taking the crown off and handing it to her over weight uncle. He placed it on top of his head and smiled at the young girl, "Does it suit me?"

She laughed violently and started rolling on the flowers. Pounding and kicking the ground while laughing even harder.

"Is that a no?" he asked sadly.

"You look funny!"

"Alright, well, I'll give it back to you. It's about time to go home anyway," he took the crown off his head and handed it to the short child. "Fix your hair before you put it back on though. Your aunt will kill me if you show up with hair like that."

"Awwww, Okay," she pulled out the hair tie and decided that was fixed up enough before she put the crown back on.

She followed her uncle though the gray brick streets. Together they entered a tall gray building and trekked up two flights of stairs before entering an apartment room. Her uncle opened the door and she bolted through. "Aunt Tam! Aunt Tam!" she yelled with a big smiled.

"Don't disturb the neighbors Nicole." A woman called gently from the kitchen. The woman slowly wobbled around the corner wiping her hands on and apron place over her very pregnant stomach.

"I brought flowers for the baby!" Nicky smiled holding the bouquet in the air.

"And it looks like you got a flower crown. It's cute but your hair's a mess," she sighed as the short 12 year old came up and hugged her stomach. "Dinner's almost done. It's all your favorites Nicky."

"And corn bread?" Nicky asked looking up from her aunt's giant stomach, looking straight at her brown eyes and short blond hair.

"Corn bread? Since when did you like corn bread?" Aunt Tam asked with a look of shock on her face.

"…No corn bread….?" Nicky asked quietly, pursing her lips and gathering her eye brows like she was about to cry.

"Of course there's corn bread," Tam laughed. "Now was up and get ready for dinner."

Dav leaned and gently kissed his wife on her cheek, she just smiled and then moved to place the flowers in a small glass vase, perfect decoration for the middle of the table. Once Nicky had washed her hands she ran around the corner and sat at the table and looked at all the great food. Corn bread, beef broccoli, a strange white soup with noodles, and a pitcher of blue koolaid, truly all her favorites.

The three dug in and Tam laughed slightly, "I think my mother would have a heart attack right about now if she saw corn bread with Chinese food."

"Your mother would have a heart attack if she knew what in the world was 'chicken glop'."

"I love chicken glop!" Nicky laughed as she grabbed the ladle and pour the mysterious white substance into a bowl.

"So Nicky are you all packed and ready for tomorrow?" Dav placed his elbow on the table and looked at the young girl.

"Yep! Everything's packed and I get to stop by Brocks gym first thing in the morning and he'll give me a Pokémon! I just hope it's something other than a Geodude," She smiled.

"Why did you suddenly decide that you wanted to go be a trainer? What happened to the sweet little girl that thought she was going to grow up to be a scientist like me and work with fossils?" Tam sighed, placing her right elbow on the table and placing her chin on her fist.

"My brothers are having so much fun being trainers. They get to see and learn a lot of things that I'll never learn here in this city," Nicky said while emulating her aunt and uncle by placing both her elbows on the table and cupping her chin in both her hands looking straight at the two.

"Elbows off the table, it's rude," Tam sternly muttered. Dav quickly pulled his arms off the table

"I will once you do," Nicky smiled.

"…Oh…" Tam sighed. She hadn't even realized what her arm had been doing.

After dinner Nicky took a long shower and as she crawled into bed her uncle entered the room.

"Uncle Dav?" she asked.

"Nicky. I don't know if I've told you enough," he sat he side her bed and placed his hand on her head, "I love you. I've raised you since you were two and to me you are as much as my daughter as the little one I get too met in a month. You are always welcome here. We'll always have a spot for you at our table and a place for you to crash when you need help."

"I love you too Uncle Dav," Nicky whispered grasping his large hand with both of hers.

The following morning, before the dawn sun even cracked the horizon Nicky stood at the entrance to the route leading to the Viridian forest with a Sandshrew standing proudly beside her. Bathed in the soft purple, pre-dawn light Nicky looked at the small creature and smiled. "Are you ready little one? Our goal is to somehow get to Cinnabar so I can get an apprenticeship at the laboratory there! We'll use any means necessary to get there and get an apprenticeship! And best of all, I won't have to change any diapers!"

Nicky turned and looked at the city, in the pinking light the city almost seemed warm. She turned forwards and run into the tall grass.

A couple hours later Tam wandered her apartment, lit by the bright morning light, she glanced around Nicky's open door. "That girl…" she sighed and waddled towards her bed and shocker her husband's shoulder, "Dav… Dav… David?"

He partly opened one eye and asked groggily, "Yeah Tammy…?"

"Nicky left without saying goodbye. Her room's empty."

"Then she's just like her brothers and mother after all," he sighed and buried his head into the pillow. He sighed a couple times before he finally got out of bed and followed his morning routine. After leaving the house he started walking towards work, first things first though. Coffee.

He thought about his usually place, relatively cheap and relatively good but he didn't feel like the usual for some reason. His next thought was a place not too far away from his work and decided not that place. He staged past a couple other coffee shops without an interest in either of them. He went slightly out of the way until he finally found a convince store that he had never visited before and didn't even know it existed.

As he entered the small shop he glanced around for the coffee machine and instead found a bunch of freshly brewed pots and a woman standing in front of them cradling her face in her hands, shaking as she sobbed slightly. A large cup of coffee had been poured and sat beside her on the counter growing cold as Dav approached the young woman who may have only been 22.

"Is there…. Anything I can do to help?" he asked sincerely staring at the young woman's covered face. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

She pulled her hands away from her face and let her tears fall as she looked right into his blue eyes through her black ones. She shook her head and placed her face back into her hands and whispered through her tears, "This is my 17th interview today," she gave a hearty sniff. "I have an interview in about an hour and I just can't seem to land a job. It's all so worthless. I have good grades, I graduated from a good school and yet I can't get a job as an instructor at any school. I wanted to teach battling but I've applied for everything I could qualify. And now, I have a run in my stockings."

David gently rubbed the young woman's back, "That's not your fault honey. The economy sucks right now and jobs are tight but, right now, you look great. You're dressed sharply, I can't even see the run, you're sure to leave a great impression."

The young woman pulled her hands away from and gave a tiny smile through her tears.

"You've got a lovely smile, give that to your prospective bosses, hold your head up high, stand tall and take the world. Let me buy your coffee so you have the energy to do just that," David whispered to her, he stopped rubbing her back and grabbed an empty cup, the same size as the one beside the woman and walked up towards the clerk. "Two of these please."

The clerk shook her head and waved, "It's on us Sir."

The woman held her cup of coffee in her hands with a small smile on her face and tears slowly falling down her cheeks. She whispered "Thank you." before leaving the small store.

David filled his cup with coffee that upon first sip he realized was actually quite horrible. Outside the looked towards the sunny sky and whispered, "Lord, please bless that young woman. Help her as you see fit."

A couple a weeks later the young woman picked a number out of cell phones memory and waited for an answer. "Grandma!" she happily cheered.

"Honey? What's going on? What you up to?" the elderly woman asked.

"I did it. I finally got a job here!" She smiled with a couple tears falling down her cheeks.

"That's wonderful dear! You've been working so hard."

"You know. Before the interview I was crying almost uncontrollable and I had no confidence. Then when I was getting a coffee a man gave me some encouragement. He bought my coffee and gave me the courage to give it my best."

"Wow that suddenly makes me think of a young man I met almost 10 years ago. He had gone through so much tragedy so young and all I felt I could do for him was buy him a coffee. It'd be nice if it were the same young man all grown up."

"There's no way grandma, after all, what are the chances a man would move from Mahogany town to Pewter City and just happen to talk to your granddaughter?"

"How many people are in the world?" the elderly woman laughed.

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><p><em>AN: Thank you for taking the time to read, all reviews are appreciated, how can I grow if I don't know what needs to change? Even a year and a half after first writing this it still makes me tear, and really has special meaning to me which is why I chose to post it as the first chapter of One-shot theater. The next one shot will be totally new. _

__Originally published 06/12/12 on Ki-nee-chan account __

_I do not own pokemon_


	2. A Lost Song

_Genres: Mystery/Poetry _

_Current Chapter Summary: In a time where it was normal for not a single person in a town to be able to read or write so tales of the world were spread through music and song. When a mysterious traveling minstrel entered a small village he will at the center of a war of legends with two sisters as its cause._

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><p>A Lost Song<p>

"Leolani…" a drunken man moaned, his upper body sprawled across a battered wooden table and in his hand a large wooden mug with only a small amount of wine remaining. "I want a song…"

A short, young woman with glossy black hair tied in a braid encircling the back of her head and a light blue cloth tied around her neck with a bow to the side titled her head to the side wordlessly.

"You… know…" the man cried, "just that, HIC… one."

Leolani smiled, revealing uneven teeth and walked for a lute in the corner.

A man at this moment walked into the building, but not a single person noticed as all eyes rested on the short woman.

She took a wooden, string instrument that was shaped like an elongated tear drop and sat with it standing between her crossed legs. Very quickly the packed bar fell silent, their breath stilled. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, exhaled, then snapped her eyes open and rapidly she ran a pick along the lute's strings and produced a sound dependent on which of the 8 strings she hit with the bow and where she pressed her fingers along the instruments neck.

The men in the bar started to stomp their feet and pound their wooden mugs filled with different levels and collections of alcohol on their tables. In unison the drunken men sang at the top of their lungs.

_The gods will bear a contract for the price of a soul,_

_Along your skin they'll burn their scroll._

_What you love they steal,_

_So they can learn what it means to feel._

_If the contract is allowed to brake,_

_Everything left will be sent to the stake._

_The gods will bear a contract to gain their goal,_

_For their wish is to turn this land to coal! Ohhhh!_

The men in the bar cheered, standing on their feet , clanging their mugs so hard together the drinks splashed and mixed, at least the portions which didn't quench to the wooden floor boards. Leolani put the instrument back down and rubbed the blue cloth around her neck.

"She's good," the stranger that had wondered into the bar muttered, approaching the bar counter.

"My little Leolani is a blessing to this tiny bar," a middle man smiled, he had a thin frame, instead of hair on top his head his tan skin was blotted with age spots, he had a wiry salt and pepper beard and mustache obscuring his mouth and neck. This man studied the traveler over. "You're soaking wet, I didn't even know it was raining outside."

The traveler could not have appeared more out of place, his hair was ear length and ocean blue, where as every person in the bar had hair of brown, black or gray. His eyes were an eerie, glowing yellow with red, puffy bags below them. His clothing was the same shade of blue as his hair with bright red embroidery. On his back he carried what appeared to be a Lute under a blue cloth.

"Are you a minstrel?" the older man asked.

"Of sorts, yes. I was hoping to rent a room, I plan on being very busy tomorrow around here," the traveler pulled some bronze coins out of his pocket and placed them on the bar table.

"How are you traveling without a pokemo….. never mind," he started to ask before clearing his throat, "Well, we have a couple of rooms that's for sure. When you get a chance maybe show Leolani a couple new tunes," he smiled and reached back for a key and waved to Leolani who was mixed in the crowd. She gently had one hand near her neck but she was smiling like she was laughing but not a single noise escaped her lips. She noticed the owners wave and turned with a smile then her eyes fell onto the stranger, her smile faltered and the grasp around her neck became a little firmer, and then she shrugged and put on a clearly fake smile.

Leolani navigated the thin path between tables and gave the occasional high five, "Oh, I forgot to warn you. Leolani cannot speak. Her village fell to the fate of the song before, she and one other escaped her neck was injured so she lost her voice."

"I see," the traveler mumbled.

Leolani approached the traveler and gave a much more sincere look smile, she held her hand out to the owner in which she received a large metallic key. She held the key up, waved it slightly and then used it to point towards the stairs hidden in the corner. She lead the way.

Once up stairs the hall way of about 10 doors was completely empty, Leolani turned around with her clearly face smile and her hand rubbing her neck.

"It hurts a lot doesn't it?"

She gave a half nod and a shrug.

"It'll all be over tomorrow," the traveler sighed. He then smiled, "The owner told me I should show you a couple new songs."

Her eyebrows raised and she gave a slight snort, folded her arms across her apron covered dress. And cocked her head.

"Don't give me that look I have learned a couple songs…. At least one anyway."

She rolled her eyes and placed a key in the door, gently she opened it.

"Thank you," he smiled.

Leolani headed back down stairs and was welcomed by cheers, the traveler unpacked his own lute and spread out his meager belongs before also heading down stairs. He found a lonely round table, it wasn't lonely for long, three large drunk men quickly ambushed the table and launched a bombardment of questions.

"Where are you from?"

"What the heck is wrong with your hair?"

"Are you sick? Should we be this close?"

"Have you ever had roasted clam pearl, it is the best thing ever, I'm ordering that for you."

"Why are you here?"

"Have you hear Leolani play the lute yet?"

"Can I have questions one at a time?" The traveler asked, half laughing.

Leolani walked up to the lonely table with her lute in hand, she smirked, cocked her head and placed her free hand on her hip and flung it out to the side. The men at the table cheered and Leolani kissed her finger tips and blew it in the direction of the one of the drunks. Leolani then pushed the lute at the traveler, he took it slowly.

The men around him cheered. "You can play?"

"Can you sing?"

"Play!" the screamed and stood and circled him over him.

Leolani stood with her arms crossed and a snarky grin cockily spread across her face.

"Uhm well… " he plucked at the strings to get the sound of the instrument. "This isn't my instumrnet so this maybe a little off sounding." Using the pick the plaid a somewhat slow song and sang a slow song in a very feminine voice about a lonely Pokémon that lost its master and it continued to wait for its master every day until finally the Pokémon also passed away.

One he was done Leolani smiled and held out her hand for the lute, she sat on a chair and started playing the same tune at which the people in the bar started to stagger through the words. After they sang the song three times the men started to yell, "Pick up the pace!" and "Faster." At which Leolani was more than able to comply and once again the drunks were quickly yelling a song and clanging their drinks.

"SHUT UP!" a woman's voice screeched from the stairs. Her long black hair was disheveled, her face was red from drink, "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shutup shutup shutupshutup shutupshutup SHUT UP!" she screamed. Her right wrist had a red cloth tied tightly around it and it gripped a large glass wine bottle. The screaming woman took the glass bottle and slammed it into the hand rail of the stairs.

The bar was completely silent, all watching this woman. Leolani put down the lute and walked towards the screaming woman, they had the same face and the same petite figure the main difference was the kept-ness of their hair and the drunken woman may have been just slightly taller. Leolani held her hands out to the enraged woman who screamed and pushed Leolani's shoulder hard enough to knock her down to the floor. "ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS! SCREAMING! SHOUTING! YOU ARE ALL BARBARIANS!" the woman screamed.

Leolani got back up to her feet and more forcefully was trying to turn the woman around back towards the stairs, the owner had come over and started pushing this woman as well. Between the two of them they made progress and hysterical screaming could be heard all the way up as well as the slamming of a door and objects falling.

"How does Leolani do it every single day?" the man near the traveler sighed.

"What do you mean?" The traveler asked, looked at the drunk and hunched over man.

The man with the hunched back sat down at the traveler's table. "The woman you just witnessed was Leolani's older sister, Konali. It was about three years to the day now…" he sighed and lean back into his hair.

"Please tell me their story."

Another man sat down at the table, "it's the kind of story that might make a good second verse to the song about God's making contracts."

The hunched man nodded, "In this land there is a red god. This monster seems to get a thrill out of devouring people and expanding the land into the sea. Leolani and Konali came from a city that used to be half a day's journey from her towards the sea and sat right beside the coast. It was a successful, and acted as a cultural hub. The main attraction of that city was the music and there was music on the streets at all times," The man smiled as he reminisced.

The second man also smiled, "they also paid the highest for our berry crops, those were great days, all we had to do was harvest berries and we were set. Without that city we now must also produce more items for sale such as the Pokémon hides we tan starting every spring."

"Uh, where is this story going?" the traveler redirected the conversation from the two drunks.

"ah right," the hunched man grumbled, "The red god appeared and demolished that rainy city. The only two to live were those sisters. Leolani's throat was injured with a strange red burn around her neck and the older Konali skin on her right wrist was blue as though it was rotting. They were covered in grime and smelled like smoke and Konali begged that someone take care of her younger sister. The inn keeper took them in because he had extra rooms but shortly thereafter something changed in konali and she turned into a horrible drunkard. The only person in this village that can stand to be near her would be poor little Leolani."

"Let me tell you something…" the second drunk man slurred, "Leolani is basically the human rayquaza to this village. With her presence just lightens up the town, as long as we have such a saint in our presence it is possible to over look the fact that she is related to the greatest disappointment this village has ever seen."

The traveler smiled, "I think I understand the picture now, thank you."

"Play us another song," yet another drunk man wobbled towards the minstrel and placed a wooden mug of a red wine down before him.

The traveler did and soon enough once again the crowd was in a ruckus learning a new song. Soon enough Leolani and the owner reappeared, with Leolani carrying huge portions of food and drink. Someone had indeed ordered the minstrel a roasted clamp pearl.

Soon enough it was time for the bar to close and the drunk men staggered out onto the dirt streets, many surprised shouts about rain that none of them had expected.

As Leolani cleared the tables the owner noticed her rubbing the blue cloth around her neck, "Hey Leolani, you look pale, how are you feeling?"

She smiled, and pumped her fist.

The owner relaxed, "I'm glad to see it's not serious but you should go to bed early. I'll take care of the rest down here."

Leolani put down her cleaning cloth, raised her hand to her mouth and dropped it down in a curve towards her stomach.

"You're welcome, sleep tight."

Leolani did not sleep that night, she laid under her covered in a curled ball holding her neck, squirming.

Her sister next door took more swigs of wine straight out of a bottle and she drunkenly stared at her reflection on one of the bottles of the floor. "Numb is the best option after all…" she took yet another swig of her drink and stared out the window into the predawn light peaking through the gaps in the rainclouds.

Soon enough dawn broke on the two sleepless sisters. Leolani headed down to the bar where the traveling minstrel was already seating, nibbling on some toast with an egg on top. Leolani stop and stared at the egg. She made a big show of point at the egg to his face and back to the egg. "What you thought I couldn't eat eggs or something?"

Her was already pale from lack of sleep but what little color she had in her face drained away and her brown eyes tried to bulge out of her head. The traveler laughed at her reactions.

She didn't have the stomach to keep any solid food down from nerves so she drank just a little bit of soup broth.

The minsteral cracked his knuckles, "The lute is still in really good condition. In fact I had it tuned up by a professional about two towns ago. Though it has been subjected to a lot of humid by being around me."

Leolani nodded slightly as she took another sip of her broth. She flinched slightly as a pain pricked at her neck.

"Ah the bastard's close," the traveler growled almost inhumanly.

Konali staggered down the stairs, a large, full wine bottle in hand. "Leolani, YOU!" she screamed and lunged towards her sister.

Leolani jumped off her chair and dodged the bottle.

"Stay put and let me beat the hell of your face! It'll be for you good!"

Leolani rapidly shook her head and backed away from Konali.

The traveler stepped between the sisters, "Now, now, Konali, I'm pretty sure you don't want to do this." He smiled calmly.

"Out of my way, out of my way!" Konali screamed and attempted to push the young man aside, "MOVE!" she pushed with all her strength but could not get him to budge.

"What is going on?" the owner came running out of the kitchen door which had been hidden behind the bar counter.

Leolani flinched again, the pain in her neck sharply pulsed and Konali's grip on the wine bottle weakened and but she did not let it go and soon enough it was fully grasped again.

"I am going to beat you until you sleep!" Konali growled, and attempted to lunge at her sister though the minstrel standing there.

"Woah," he grasped her waist and tried to pull her away, at this point the owner was also trying to restrain her, holding her upper arms back as best he could. Slowly the trio backed up until Leolani walked against a table.

Konali gave a deranged scream and her wine bottle flew from her hand, around the head of the minstrel right to the side of Leolani's head where it shattered upon impact and Leolani fell, banged into the table behind them and finally fell to the ground unconscious.

The owner released Konali and ran to Leolani's side, ripping off his apron to prepare treatment. "Leolani, Leolani," Cried to her, gently shaking her shoulder. Placing his apron on a large gash on Leolani's temple, "Leave!" he growled, "Leave, die for all I care! I only helped you because Leolani was so insistent. She did everything for you, your share of the bar work, begging me not to kick you out and this is how you repay her love?" tears screamed from his red face.

"Perfect," Konali stated with no emotion and walked through the door way. She stood in the middle of the street and muttered to herself, "I know you're almost here, now would be the perfect time."

Several moments passed where Konali just stood with her arms crossed, people passing by in the street barely glanced at her messy hair, sweat and drink stained dress, the rain over head was breaking apart and the sun was getting stronger with each passing moment. The temperature started to raise and suddenly screaming broke out.

People ran past the stationary Konali, not even looking at her as they ran. Thunderous steps shook the ground, the buildings and made it difficult to either move or stand. The monster was covered in a thick d armor with deep, dark blue davits between the plates. It walked along the street, stopping only in front of Konali. "Girl," He growled, once again shaking the earth. "Show me the mark of your contract."

Konali, raised her right arm, stripped the red cloth off and showed a glowing blue band, it was shaped like a circle with a w attached and attached to the circle was a mirrored circle and w, the long arms of the w connected.

"Ah, beautiful. I'll almost feel bad eating," The monster snickered and smoke exited through the corners of his mouth. "Almost." The monster started reaching out with his giant claws, the red armor bore the same design as Konali's marking. Leolani staggered out from the bar and pushed Konali out of the Monster's reach. "Oh?" the monster stopped reaching to examine the girl with blood and wine dripping onto her shoulders. "What is this."

"Leolani!" Konali screamed, "Go back inside you fool!"

"Girl…" The red monster turned to face Konali, "Was our deal not to have you so hated that not a single person would come to save you? Did I not give you three years to accomplish this task?"

"Groudon, that girl has mistaken me for someone else, look at the blood on her head, she is not in her right mind!" Konali pleaded.

"Right mind or not, I now may feats on everyone but you," he laughed with glee. And reached back towards Leolani. As Groudon's claws started to close something blue grabbed Leolani. "What?"

"HI!" The traveler holding Leolani cheerfully called.

"Brother… so you were in this town to? Would you like to help me engage in a feast?" The monster laughed.

"Now, Groudon, do you remember a city by _my_ coastline you happened to eat all the people in? It would have been about three years ago?" The traveler gently place Leolani back to her feet.

"I do, where you saving it for a meal yourself?"

"Not quite, I happened to have liked the music the humans there made and I've been rather mad about it." He pulled the blue cloth off of Leolani's neck, revealing a red mark similar to Konali's blue mark but with four prongs leaving each mirrors circle encompassing her neck. "You did very well, Leolani," he whispered before deeply kissing her.

When he broke from her, Leolani's neck no longer glowed, and he released her from his grasp, "Ah..?" she made a slight noise while holding her hands towards her neck.

He smiled and turned back to the monster, "Now brother," his low, booming ,voice shook the sky and storm clouds started to gather, "I'm under contract to pick a bone with you until the day you die." His human form started warp, his arms turning to fins, his skin turning blue, his body rounding and his legs merging into a tail. His transformation wasn't complete until he was a giant, floating, blue, fish monster similar to Groudon.

The fish monster opened his wide mouth and out from it shot a blast of water, pushing Groudon back. Slowly with multiple blasts, unearthly cries retreated from the village.

Konali cried holding Leolani, pulling her sticky, blood covered hangs out from her face. "But how… why..?"

The people of the village started gathering around the two sisters, Leolani slowly got to her feet, closed her eyes and took a deep breath before singing in a low but rich and powerful voice.

"_Three years before this story started, _

_I used to sing by the sea._

_One day I was sad,_

_And cried hopelessly._

_And that was when,_

_Kyogre came to me._

_He asked for music, _

_and not for tears._

_He wanted something _

_That would soothe his ears._

_From that point I sang for him,_

_Singing to the shore at night._

_Then the day came where we lost,_

_And I heard the deal that you did recite._

_I ran to him and pleaded a deal,_

_I needed him to make it right._

_And for my voice for three long years,_

_He promised to fight till he died._

_Or until he the day he had won,_

_With pride." _

Leolani took a short exhale after singing and gave a slight laugh, "I missed singing so much."

* * *

><p><em>AN: The first song was written with "UH this rhymes lets go with that" the second song I wrote while __singing the tune of 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' it sort of works? This was my first attempt at poetry in a fanfic I'm sorry. Next chapter will focus more on Pokemon rather than people living in the Pokemon world. Please tell me in the reviews what you thought and what I could have improved on._


	3. Friends Forever, Okay?

_Genres for this chapter: Romance/Friendship/Drama_

_Summary: Three close friends in their last summer together before one of them will leave to become a trainer find a wounded pokemon and as they protect a secret which should bring them closer together, some truths stress their bounds and threaten to break them apart._

* * *

><p>Forever Friends, Okay?<p>

"Rubie…. Hey Rubie?"

I started to open my eyes.

"Rubie, move your head."

"Huh?" I muttered half asleep. School! Test! Oh My God! I bolted up right and shouted, "Oh No! I'm late for school!"

There was a loud crash to accompany my light headed feeling from standing so suddenly. I glanced around to realize I had indeed not been late for school but rather sleeping in class. The crash had come from my friend now sitting on the floor. She must have been trying to get the test out from under my head and when I suddenly got up she pulled to hard and lost her balance.

"I'm sorry Arela… are you okay?"

She got up on her feet laughing, "You finished early again, huh Rubie?"

"Rubie!" a boy called me from a couple of desks away. I glanced towards him and noticed his big smile right before he pointed at his mouth, "Drool."

"Ekkk!" I screamed and started rubbing my mouth on my arm furiously.

"Just kidding," He laughed.

I threw my hard, plastic pencil case and watched it bounce off his thick skull and spray my colored pencil collection into the air and clatter to the ground.

"That hurt!" he shouted holding his cheek.

"You're the one at fault Paz, always teasing Rubie," Arela stated.

"Yeah you're always teasing me!" I shouted as I started picking up my colored pencils off the floor.

Once we packed up all our belongings we exited the school and hopped onto our bikes. We were assaulted by the aroma of fresh Miltank manure. This little town was in the middle of nowhere. 70 miles away from Ecruteak City and another 50 from Olivine City, so far away from the main route between the two that not even trainers will come to stop in this forsaken village. The three of us live only about 5 miles away from the school.

As we biked quietly along a dirt path with tall trees on either side I asked Arela, "Arela, why did you suddenly decide to become a trainer?"

Arela rode her bike slowly next to mine as we chatted; her bright, blonde hair was so short the slight breeze barely disturbed the ends. Her light green eyes looked towards the cloudless sky the peaked through the tree branches and rich leaves above as she sought an answer. "Mostly because I don't know what to do." She answered finally looking back towards me with a big smile on her face. "Both you and Paz have a general understanding of what you're going to be when you grow up but I feel like I'm only 9 and why should I have to make such choices with the rest of my life?" Arela now looked straight ahead, "Besides this small town is so boring, I want to make a lot of new friends!"

"It feels like you're going to leave us alone though, right Paz?" I looked behind myself only to notice Paz's bike was parked on the side of the dirt path a ways back.

I turned my bike around and Arela followed my lead till we reach Paz's bike. Quietly we parked our bikes and snuck towards where he had left his. We peaked through the trees and saw Paz squatting.

"Don't look Rubie! He couldn't hold it!" Arela yelled and started pushing me back towards our bikes.

"As if!" Paz shouted, blushing like crazy.

Walking around the trees we approached him, entering the long grass we've been told to never step foot in. Inches away from Paz a small red Pokémon lay.

"A Vulpix," I whispered.

The small red Pokémon, laid on the ground with its eyes mostly closed, its fur was matted with blood and dirt. The poor creature was too weak to do anything other than whimper slightly as we approached.

Slowly I stuck my hand out towards the small creature; it sniffed my hand for a couple long seconds before weakly giving it a single lick. I retracted my hand with a big smile on my face, "How cute! Let's take care of her!"

Paz looked at me sideways and asked, "Really? Can we do that?"

"Sure we can," I smiled looking in his brown eyes, "Our parents may not like it but we can't just leave her like this!"

"I'm with Rubie!" Arela raised her hand with a big smile on her face.

"You too Arela?" Paz sighed and scratched his dark brown hair as he looked at the ground. "Well, okay then. The three of us can take care of her together."

"HEY!" An adult shouted suddenly. The three of us turned to see our school nurse on a bike on the dirt path behind us. "What are you three doing?"

"Mrs. J!" Arela smiled, "We're discussing the future!"

"That's nice but get out of the grass and go straight home!"

"We will!" all three of us yelled.

She stared at us from her bike for a couple more seconds before pushing her glasses back up on her face and pedaling down the road.

"That was close," Paz whispered. "If it had been any of the other teachers they would have actually pulled us out of the grass."

"So… what are we going to do with this Vulpix?" Arela asked.

Paz gently picked up the small creature, "Leave it to me, I know a place that no one ever visits. It'll be a secret for just the three of us. We can even take turns taking care of it."

"Awesome, lets draw up a duty roster." Arela suggested as she followed him out of the grass.

A bit a ways Paz lead us to an old shed that had long since been abandoned. There we cleaned off the blood and dirt, discovered she was a female, and learned just how deep her wounds really were. Vulpixs are normally not found in this area wildly. I wonder if a trainer abandoned her? Did she run away from an abusive trainer?

That night I sat in my room by my desk and stared at a picture of the three of us. We're really the best of friends. I looked more at Paz in the picture, that day the wind had messed up his dark brown hair. It was longer than Arela's but not by much and he was hugging the both of us. I've kept it a secret to myself, but I've got a bad crush on Paz. He's clueless and teases me but he's really a nice guy.

The next couple days after school the three of us visited the Vulpix together. Paz fixed up some of the holes in the wall around the shed with wooden boards he stole from his farm. We feed her old meat from the grocery store that they were going to throw away.

"You're feeling much better, aren't you Ouji?" Arela asked while stroking her fur gently.

"I'm not sure we should have named her after a creepy board game…." I sighed.

"Would you have preferred Pixy?" Arela asked. Man is she simple minded.

"I don't like that either," I sighed. As I stared at Ouji's collection of raw meat we've placed beside her bed I remembered a chore I had forgotten, "AH! I almost forgot! Mom wanted me to go to the store! Wait for me okay?"

"Sure, sure!" Arela smiled.

I biked a couple miles away to the old store nearby and loaded a small basket with salad greens and chicken. All while thinking about the horrible, evil, slave driver. My mother. As I approached the check out, I noticed some ice cream. "Arela loves Ice cream," I muttered out loud reaching for the cooler coffin.

I biked as fast as I could to my house and essentially threw the bags into the house before taking off at full speed on my bike towards out secret hid out with ice cream quickly melting. I parked my bike along the side and ran towards the open door.

I could hear Paz's voice, I hadn't gotten a third ice cream bar but…. Oh well. "Listen Arela… I… you know… I"

I opened my mouth to call something and let them know I was here.

"I love you Arela!" he shouted.

I felt numb, stepped to the side of the door and pressed my back against eh old wood as I dropped my bag of ice cream. My heart pounded in my throat as I listened to the long silence.

"I have… for a long time now… do you feel anything for me?" he asked.

"I love you too, Paz." Arela said happily.

I gasped.

"I mean, **we're friends**!" she happily continued.

I felt something in my head go 'clunk' and I'm sure Paz had that same feeling.

"I also love Rubie, my brothers Jason and Chad, then there's Mary, Callie… I can't even keep track of them all."

"oh…" Paz muttered, "That's not what I meant. I mean I want to be with you!"

"What do you mean? Aren't you with me right now?"

"I'm talking about something different! Romantic…."

Quietly I could hear Arela ask, "What's the difference between 'friendship love' and 'romantic love'?"

I could hear a shuffling of weight, Paz was starting to stand up, "I get it…" he shakily muttered, "You see me as just a friend…" he took off running and almost crashed into me as he sharply turned out of the door. His checks were so red and he looked so hurt. We didn't say anything, he just looked forward and ran away.

Arela stepped out from the door, "Rubie? How long have you been there?" she asked me.

"Arela, that was mean. He told you he loved you and you didn't know what that meant?" tears were forming in my eyes; I picked the bag of ice cream up off the ground and flung it against her head. "You're a jerk Arela! I hate you and we're not friends anymore!"

Ran towards my bike and pedaled away. I could hear Arela calling my name at my back but I didn't care. My tears, at this point, were starting to free flow. I bike home even faster than I had bike to Ouji's shed, and inside, upstairs to my room, locked the door and flung myself into my bed to cry.

I never guessed that Paz liked Arela. Did he agree to help with Ouji to make her happy? I was the clueless one!

The following day at school was the last one before summer break. Paz wouldn't even look my way. After the teacher told us to have a safe break I left the class room only to be stopped by Arela.

"Um… hey? Rubie?" she asked unsurely, "I'm sorry. I must have said something that hurt you and Paz. I'm still not really sure what it was but we're still friends. Aren't we?"

I didn't even want to look at her, "You're too immature," I spat before running away from her.

Over at the shed I sat in front of Ouji and stroked her fur, "Ouji, why did I say that? I'm awful. It was jealousy. I'm the one that's too immature. You probably think that you've been found by the stupidest humans possible. I don't think you'd be wrong…"

I sighed and looked towards the rotten ceiling, this summer was going to be so fun and now it's just going to be a drag. I grabbed Ouji's water bowl and started walking towards the door. I was going to throw it out and give her some fresh water from a bottle I had brought. Not that a Vulpix drinks a lot of water.

At door, lost in my own thoughts I almost crashed into Paz who was standing there with a full bag and a bottle of fresh water. "Hey," he muttered quietly. "Today was my day."

"Oh? Was it?" I asked just as embarrassed as him. This is so awkward.

"You know, the other day… You saw me embarrass myself right?"

I nodded.

"Somehow I feel free now."

"Huh?"

"I had all these pent up feelings for Arela…. Just being able to tell her felt good. Of course, she rejected me so it's kind of weird to be near her."

Why are you telling me this? I asked myself as I tightened my grip on Ouji's water bowl.

Paz smiled right at me, "Maybe I shouldn't be the one to give advice but if you have a guy you like don't wait. Just tell him how you feel."

I released the water bowl, took a step forward, closed my eyes and gently pressed my lips against his. I opened my eyes and took a step back, he stared at me dumb struck. "I love you! Wake up will you? _I love you!_!" I shouted to his face with tears forming in my eyes. I reached for my bike a couple of steps away and biked away at full speed while shouting, "I have been for a long time!"

I later learned that after I ran away from Arela in the school Mrs. J had come up and asked Arela was wrong and what had happened to us. Mrs. J. then invited Arela to the office to talk about it.

There Arela asked Mrs. J. what exactly was the difference between 'Friendship love' and 'Romantic love'.

Mrs. J. pulled her glasses off the way she always does when she wants to explain something but is unsure of how to.

Arela mentioned that she wanted to be friends with Paz and I again but she was really worried about me saying she was immature. She figured that was why I was mad at her.

Mrs. J. smiled and apparently told her, "It's hard, even for adults sometimes, to know the difference between the two. I don't think you should worry about it yet. Love is something that grows from within. Someday you'll learn for yourself what it's like to fall in love. I think both Paz and Rubie have figured it out. It should be okay, you're friend is stronger than you think."

Two days later I was lying around in bed. Complaining that the rain had not let up all day, "Summers only a couple days old and I'm bored." I muttered.

I thought about Paz and what he was doing. He hadn't tried to get a hold of me since my confession. I guess I scared him off. Then I thought about Arela and wondered about her. How could this of happened to us? How much of this is my fault? All of it? Until a few days ago we were all taking care of Ouji together…

I gasped and bolted out of bed. Today was my turn to look after her!

I put on my rain coat and ran as fast as I could to the shed. When I got there Ouji was gone and there was blood on the blankets we had left for her.

"No... What happened?" I asked myself. Her wounds had mostly healed shut, what would have caused so much blood to get her? I was so wrapped up in my own problems I had forgotten…..

I ran out of the small shed and shouted at the top of my lungs, "Ouji! Where are you? Come back! Come back please!"

Running down the path I was squinting through the trees when I crashed into someone.

"Rubie?" He asked.

"Paz?" I cried looking at him in his rain coat as held my shoulders.

"Are you okay? It was raining so hard I got worried…."

"I can't find Ouji!" I admitted.

"What?"

"Its… it's all my fault! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." I cried.

A moment of silence passed, he released my shoulders and grasped my hand, "Rubie, It's gonna be okay. C'mon. We'll look for her together!" I looked up as he started to pull me forward at which point he crashed into someone else.

It was Arela. She had a flash light on top of her head held in place by her hod being tightly tied shut, another flash light in her hand and a large amount of rope slung over her shoulder.

"Arela?" Paz shouted, "What's up with the get up?"

Arela laughed and scratched her check, "I was worried about Rubie and Ouji so I came fully equipped.

Paz started explaining to Arela about Ouji's disappearance as I whipped my tears. Arela had been worried about me even though I had been so mean… Paz too. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry Ouji.

We split up into two teams. Paz with me and Arela on her own. Arela had given us one of her flash lights. We looked and looked in the heavy rain.

I started to cry again, "Ouji…." I muttered.

"Rubie…" Paz sighed while reaching for my shoulder.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Arela screamed.

"Arela?" Paz shouted.

"Guys come, quick!" she screamed.

We ran up beside her, she was kneeling in front of a tree knoll. When we could see she had found Ouji lying under the tree with three eggs beside her.

"Ouji…" I whispered sticking hand out towards her nose. She weakly licked my figure.

We took her and her eggs back to the shed, and about a week later, Ouji never got up again.

"Life is hard for wild Pokémon…" Mrs. J muttered as she firmly hammered a stake into the ground outside the shed.

"Maybe we should have somehow managed to take her to a Pokémon center…" Arela whispered.

"I think you guys did a good job taking care of Ouji," Mrs. J. calmly whispered while placing her hands on both my shoulders as well as Arela's, "She knew her babies would be well cared for."

Staring at her grave I cradled a warm egg; tears flowed out of my eyes. Mentally I reassured Ouji, where ever she was, that we'll take good care of her babies.

March the following year….

"Alright, I'm going now guys!" Arela cheered. It was still a little chilly so she wore a thick coat and a scarf.

"Take care!" a large portion of our friends yelled.

"Train hard!" I shouted.

"Good luck!" Paz called.

"And good luck to you two!" Arela laughed. "Ready to go Cinna?" She asked hugging a two-tailed Vulpix.

"Piii!" she happily purred.

Arela walked along the lonely dirt road leaving town, waving on her bike until we couldn't make her form out of the horizon anymore.

"We'll miss her," I muttered to Paz with tears in my eyes.

"Yeah, but she'll be back, and she'll even bring her new trainer friends back with her.

"True, and we'll all still be friends. Even if we are apart," I smiled through my tears, my little Orelia was trying to crawl out of my arm and lick my face. With my free hand I grasped Paz hand even tighter, staring into the horizon where Arela vanished.

Always, Forever…. Okay?

_A/N:_

_Both Arela and Paz mean "Gold" originally Arela was 'Minta' but after a while I thought that was a stupid name. _

_Originally published 07/11/12 on Ki-nee-chan account_

_Next time's chapter will feature Ash and Pikachu as a story request by Bluewolfbat_


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